More than glory and honor, elite paddlers from all over the world, including the host Philippines, will have extra motivation to do well and excel in the ICF Dragon Boat World Championships scheduled Oct. 27 to Nov. 4 in the picturesque coastal city of Puerto Princesa in Palawan. 

The International Canoe Federation, the world governing for the sport, has sanctioned the competition organized by the Philippine Canoe Kayak Federation as the main qualifying meet for the 2025 World Games. 

The popular paddling sport will have its debut in the 12thedition of the quadrennial sportsfest for non-Olympic disciplines from Aug. 7 to 17, 2025 in Chengdu, China, making the championships co-organized and backed by the Puerto Princesa City government led by Mayor Lucilo Bayron a must event for top global paddlers.  

“Itong world championship natin ang major qualification event for the World Games next year. Ang World Games po ay counterpart ng Olympic Games at ang mga sports na hindi nilalaro sa Olympics,” noted PCKF president Len Escollante in a recent radio interview. 

“This is also the first time that dragon boat racing will be played in the World Games kaya malaking bagay na napunta sa atin at sa Puerto Princesa gagawin,” said Escollante, “at sampung teams o bansa ang magka-kaqualify dito sa tournament.

“Kapag nag-qualify ang bansa, bahala na ang association nila na pumili ng mga paddlers for the World Games sa susunod na taon.” 

The former national dragon boat coach said the 10 qualified teams will be based on cumulative times in the mixed team small boat or 10-seater category in the 200, 500 and 2,000-meter races to be held at the Sulu Sea overlooking the well-managed Puerto Princesa Baywalk.

German ICF president Thomas Konietzko gave a thumbs-up to organizers of the ICF Dragon Boat World Championships during an ocular inspection early this year of the site by an ICF delegation that included Wai-Hung Luk, ICF Dragon Boat Commission chairman, of China.  

``It’s an honor for Puerto Princesa to host an event of this magnitude. This is a significant challenge for us, but once we get started and achieve success, it means that organizing and hosting larger events will become much easier for us,’’ Mayor Bayron pointed out during the ICF visit. 

Bayron has been a strong advocate of promoting Puerto Princesa, known as the “City in a Forest” for its diverse fauna and flora and breathtaking views, as a sustainable major sports tourism hub in the country.

Under his watch, Puerto Princesa  has successfully staged foot races and triathlons on top of  multi-sport meets such as the Batang Pinoy National Games, which will again be held in Palawan’s provincial capital in late November.  

Escollante praised the Mayor Bayron and the local organizing committee members in ensuring that the ICF Dragon Boat World Championships would be a memorable and historic one for both participants, Palaweños and all Filipinos. 

“We would like to thank again Mayor Bayron for accommodating us in hosting this event in his fair city.  This will  give greater motivation and inspiration for our own national paddlers to perform well in front of a hometown crowd while participants from other countries will be able to sample our famed Filipino hospitality,” she said.